Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tyres are essentially heavy duty, ultra reliable commu-touring tyres that inspire unprecedented confidence without feeling sluggish or barge-like, as the 970g weight for a pair would imply.

Much of this is attributable to the Smart guard system. This is essentially a clever subsection of supple rubber designed to force sharps out, rather than drawing them in as deep treaded Kevlar types can, especially with age. Stout sidewalls feature the usual refinements including a dynamo track, reflective detailing and directional arrows, removing all doubt.

There's an unusually broad range of sizes too, including 24, 20 18 and even 16 inch - catering for everything from tourers and junior/mountain bikes through to small wheeled folders, whose wheels can prove devilishly difficult to remove at the best of times, let alone puncturing en route to the station on a wintry morning.

Ours were the tour sensible 35mm section, optimal for modern load luggers. The same goes for cyclo crossers using mudguards - ours have served handsomely on my cross inspired fixer but ran fag paper close, factory fresh residual bobbles tickling the rear mudguard section for a hundred miles before wearing flat.

Wider section rubber usually breezes aboard the hoops in thirty seconds flat sans tools. These however induced a torrent of agricultural language and claimed the life of a composite tyre lever, prompting me to invest in a commercial unit - not that roadside removal should be required unless you happened to roll over that nine-inch nail with your name on it. I would have saved myself a lot of hassle had I seen this handy video on how to fit a Marathon Plus… with just the aid of some old toe straps.

Peace of mind, great handling and modest rolling resistance aren't easily married in the same sentence but the Marathons are notably faster at 85psi than competitor models, affording a decent momentum in most contexts while turning a lofty seventy nine inch gear. Even inflated to ninety psi, they've delivered a serene, magic carpetesque passage over horribly surfaced lanes and the ability to shrug and speed through shards of broken glass is truly liberating, although there's plenty of scope for split second skirting of these, potholes and other potentially damaging imperfections.

Demon descending at 40mph along greasy sections, they handled as if on rails - wet manhole covers/similar ironworks induced the occasional pregnant pause but suffice to say, these were shorter than most. On the basis of our test period and despite fighting back during installation, they're easily my favourite of the heavy-duty genre, although likely to be swapped for the brand's spiked winter siblings when the snowman cometh.

Verdict

Seemingly bullet proof commu-tour tyres that roll faster than their girth would suggest but are stubborn to fit .

road.cc test report

Make and model: Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tyre

Size tested: 700x35C

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

"Punctures are a memory. The SmartGuard? layer made from a flexible, special rubber offers particular resistance to shards of glass and flints. Even a thumbtack cannot penetrate this protective layer. The SmartGuard belt does not increase rolling resistance. The MARATHON PLUS rolls as easily as a tyre without protection".

No quibble here. Wide range of sizes makes it highly appealing whether belting along on the Brompton or crossers earning their keep as road-going winter trainers.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Overall I've been completely smitten by the marathon plus. Its a rugged all season's tyre well suited to touring, commuting and crossers serving as winter trainers. Rolling resistance is much lower than their girth and deep tread pattern would suggest and the clever sub layer seems vastly superior to Kevlar, inspiring confidence when negotiating town centre streets littered with glass, tacks/similar nasties.

Personally I prefer the Marathon Supreme, they're about half the weight, better rolling and I've found them also to be virtually indestructible. For touring you're not going to get much better than either of these.

I used to use marathons during the winter on my commuter but I found they were more prone to puncture because glass would get wedged in the tread and work its way into the tyre. Also an absolute b* to get off the rim if you need to fix a flat. Went back to gatorskins and took it a bit easier on the slippery bits.

I originally found these to feel VERY slow, but this improved as they wore in and the sidewalls became more supple. Also, much easier to remove/refit once broken in. The main issue fitting these when new is that they are so stiff that the inside bead won't stay put in the centre dip of the rim when you try and lever on the outer bead. I never had a puncture since fitting these, but they aren't the most comfortable tyres I've used due to their stiff casing. They are the only tyre I'd use when commuting, but I prefer marathon supremes for recreational rides.

I used 23mm Open Corsa CX's all through the winter, commuting, training etc, and they're still going now. Had 2 punctures in all, on London's glass lined tarmac. They even stood up to a rather gravelly and agricultural detour last weekend. They do look a bit tatty now of course.

If you're getting a weekly pop then you might be doing something wrong to be honest.

I've got 700 x 25 Marathon Pluses on a Boardman Hybrid as has one of my work colleagues. He's had some problems with them blowing off the rim when under higher pressures. After trial and error he now runs them at around 55psi.

My experiences have been more positive. The rear was replaced after around 4000 miles because of tread wear but the front is still going fine after about 6500. I run mine at around 80psi and have had no problems with them coming off the rim. When I started taking my daughter to nursery on the back of the hybrid I wanted tyres that gave me the best possible chance of puncture-free commutes and the MP's have done me proud. I've also used 700 x 28's on my cross bike when in winter trainer mode, again no problems.

Their only drawback is (as mentioned above) the difficulty getting them on the wheels in the first place.

I've got 700 x 25 Marathon Pluses on a Boardman Hybrid as has one of my work colleagues. He's had some problems with them blowing off the rim when under higher pressures. After trial and error he now runs them at around 55psi.

That's interesting because I also have a Boardman hybrid fitted with 700 x 32 Marathon Pluses, and I had my tyres blow off the rim twice when first fitted and pumped up to max pressure. I discovered the problem was down to the inner tube being trapped between the tyre bead and rim, which is very easily done and difficult to spot ... pumping up the tyre results in a loud bang as the tyre ejects and the tube bursts. I now check my tyres very carefully after fitting and before fully inflating.

I've been running these for three years or so (so roughly 12,000 miles give-or-take, over all manner of thorns, glass, potholes, beds-of-nails etc.) and had one puncture in that time - caused by a spoke-head through the rim.

Is it just me or are there endless variations of Schwalbe tyres, sometimes the same tyre with different names? Out here in flint country, you need steel mesh under the tread to be safe.

And directional arrows? Yes, I see them and follow them, but is there one shred (pun intended) of evidence it makes a difference? Sheldon Brown claimed even tread was irrelevant on a bicycle tyre. But it's cool

Miscellaneous

Tools and workshop

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Latest comments

Frankly, it just doesn't surprise me. I'm waiting for the day it happens on my ride to work.